Internal-combustion engine.



F. H. KRlENlTZ.

INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE.

APPLICAHON FILED MAB. 10. 1911.

L ,@SIQQ., Patented Aug. 21,- 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l,

ATTORNEY F. H. KRIENITZ. E INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR-10.1917.

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FRANK H. KRIENITZ, OF MCFARLAND, KANSAS.

INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 21, 1917.

Application led March 10, 1917. Serial No. 153,906.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK H. Knmni'rz, a citizen of the United States,residing at McFarland, in the county of lVabaunsee and State of Kansas,have invented new and useful Improvements in Interi'ial-CombustionEngines, of which the following is a speciication.

This invention relates to internal combustion engines one object ofwhich is to provide a compact powerful multiple-cylinder engine in whichthe cylinders reciprocate as a unit and the pistons are stationary, thearrangement being such that all of the cylinders are coupled by a pairof connecting rods with a crank shaft having two cranks, therebymaterially reducing the friction and strain and also producing aconstruction by means of which the impulse or working stroke in onecylinder is cushioned by the compression stroke in an opposing cylinder,resulting in a material reduction in vibra tion and producing an engineof smooth and powerful action.

A further object of the invention is to provide cut-olf valves slidablymounted in the pistons and adapted to control the ports thereof,suitable means being provided for operating the two valves as desired atappropriate intervals.

1n the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a top plan view of the engine;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the engine;

Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view of the same;

Fig. i is an end view of one of the pistons.

Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional view of the engine.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view of a disk used upon the engine.

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary sectional view of parts of the engine cut on theline 7 7 of Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawings, l designates the crank shaft of the engine,the same being mounted in bearings 3. The crank shaft is provided with agear wheel 4L and is geared with a shaft the latter indicated at 5. Theshaft 1 is provided with two cranks 7, 8 designating connecting rodsattached to the cranks 7 by the connecting rod bearings 9.

A frame is provided and includes side members 10 substantially parallelto each other and the end members 11 which rigidly connect the sidemembers 10. In the engine as illustrated in the accompanying drawing,four pistons A, B, C and D are employed, each piston being provided atits outer end with an attaching flange 12 by means of which it is boltedor otherwise securely fastened to one of the end frame members 11. Theinner end of each piston is closed by a head 13.

Cooperating with the pistons is a correspending number of cylinders a, oand d, all of which cylinders being cast @a bloc and having their endsopen to embrace the pistons while the inner ends thereof are closed bymeans of a cylinder head 14 common to all of the cylinders.

In the preferred embodiment of this invention all of the cylinders andpistons are horizontally opposed and they all lie in a common horizontalplane. Extending through the block of cylinders at the center thereof isa hollow shaft 15 to which the adjacent ends of the connecting rods 8are coupled. The connecting rods 8 are located at a su'Hicient distancefrom the cylinders to prevent any interference on the part of the saidpiston rods as the crank shaft end thereof follows the sweep of thecranks 7. Roller tracks 19 extend longitudinally of the outer walls ofthe cylinders and bear against rollers 20 carried by forks 21 on theends of the supporting rods 22 which are fastened to the frame at 23.The arrangement just referred to forms a support for all of thecylinders and guides the same in the reciprocatory movement thereof.

Each piston is provided with a. longitudinally disposed passage way 24which communicates with the valve chamber through a port 25 locatedadjacent the head 13. The said valve chamber is located centrally of thepiston and contains a sliding valve as best shown in Fig. 3 anddescribed hereinafter. Each piston is further provided with a port 26which communicates at its inner end with the valve chamber and at itsouter end with a passage way 27 which in turn communicates with theinterior of that cylinder in which the said piston operates. The ports25 and 26 are out of alinement with each other, the port 26 beinglocated at a. point more remote from the head 13 than the port 25 asshown in Fig. 3. The valve 28 is slidably mounted in the valve chamberof each piston and is provided with a s'tem 29. The stems extend beyondthe end frame members 11 and are provided with rollers 30 adapted tooperate in grooves 30 provided in cam disks v31. IThe said disks arelocated in the frame containing the cylinders and pistons. Each disk isadapted to operate two valves in order that the valves may be moved in a'predetermined manner with Arelation to the ports and 26. One disk 31operates two valves 28 and both of the said disks aremounted on theshaft 5 in a suitable manner as shown in Fig. 1. Gas or mixture pipes 33connect with the ends of the passage way 24.

The cylinders are provided adjacent the head 14 with spark plugs Si andin the re ciprocatory movement of the cylinders the said plugs approachthe electric conductors 35 whereby sparks` are made at the plugs andignition results. The stems 29 pass through guides 36 and springs 87bear against the said guides andthe stems and serve to hold the rollersy toward the disks 31.

rlhe .timing of the engine is preferably such that as an explosion takesplace in one oylindencompression is taking place in one of the opposingcylinders and in this way the working stroke in oneof the cylinders iseushionedby the compression of the iniX- ture in an opposing cylinder.The other cycles of operation are arranged to follow each other afterthe manner of the ordinary four cycle internal combustion engine. Thusin an engineelnhodying four cylinders there -of the crank shaft.

Having described the invention what is claimed is In an internalcombustion engine, the oombination of a crank shaft having 'two cranks,a frame Comprising longitudinal and transverse members, horizontallyopposed pistons having closed heads at their inner ends arranged inspaced relation to each other, the outer ends of said pistons being`iiredly secured to the said frame, a block of cylinders corresponding'in number with lthe number of pistons and arranged to reciprocate backand forth relatively to and upon said pistons, means operativelyconnecting the saideylinders with the cranks, of the shaft, the saidpistons having passageways at their opposite sides and portscommunicating withthe passageways and the interiors of the pistons,valves slidably mounted in the pistons and adapted to close the saidports successively, stems attached to the valves, rotary earn diskscoperating with the valve stems and driven from the crank shaft, eachdisk being provided with a` Igroove adapted to operate two of the valvestems.

In testimony whereof I my signature.

' FRANK H. KRIENITZ.

NCo'pies. of this patent may be obtained for veeents each, by addressingthe Commissioner 'of yatents. Washington, D. C.

